MALKIA KASSU NAILS "MISS COMMONWEALTH AFRICA" TITLE PLUS MORE...

Born in Tanzania in 1991, Miss Malkia Kassu, is driven by an inner fire to help contribute something in society. Although she was only four, living in Sweden she managed to enroll in Swahili studies, while keeping on with Swedish and English. She also speaks a bit of Somali and Arabic...

AFRICAN WOMEN NEW COMEDY PLAY

Milly Namukasa...seems to have no gears in her creative life, pushing on and on and on...
from music to dancing (and teaching and running African dancing workshops everywhere and regularly) plus this recent play which has been described as a "laughter and fun" adventure. Add raising children some of who are already grown up and running their own gear-less creative motors, too.
A true African woman - as her play states. She knows what it is all about...
The cast is made up of very interesting actors from the London community...an energetic bunch. One is Stephen Kasamba of ACDarts ...the Ugandan drumming powerhouse.
If you cannot make it to the "African Women" play in Bethnal Green, help spread the word. We need joy, jolliness and brains in these cold, stressfull times.
One of the main sponsors of the play is Global Fusion Music and Arts...

KADIJA GEORGE SESAY AT CHARLTON HOUSE...

KADIJA GEORGE  IS KNOWN AS A PROMOTER OF (OTHER WRITERS AND) LITERATURE.

BUT HERE SHE WAS HEAD-LINING A GLOBAL FUSION MUSIC AND ARTS...EVENT.

Irki, Kadija's new collection is her call.
Time for all of us to listen to a woman who has (for decades), been pushing and heaving and shoving and assisting others in the world of  minorities' literature in the UK. The award winning writer of Sierra Leone descent's gig was, ironically,  filled with a dozen-plus artists; all booked by GFMA...Oh yes, Kadija is never alone. Even if it is her time to shine and show us what she has written.

Thursday, 19th September was an international day of peace... and well...what else to celebrate but music, sound and colourful verse?

A display of African fabrics and goods by Ugandan musician, Sara Ndagire

Finding peace through centering yourself by doing Tai Chi Chuan as expressed by local Charlton instructor and positive thinker Chew Yeen Lawes. She runs regular classes through GFMA initiative.

DRUMMING AND BEAUTY AT FAHARI PASSION FASHION SHOW...

I enjoyed myself; everyone did that evening.

 I was delighted drumming Djembe  with my DJ friends from Poland. Kryhu Rudnicki and Kompas Collective, ever heard of them? Check them out...

  Their hallucinating, catchy electronic music, tallied with our  beats while sweetening   the mix of flamboyant, elegant, agile and athletic beautiful models from all corners of the world.

 At my side was Gwang, the amazing percussionist from Grenada.

We did the music and watched pretty clothes being displayed.

 Swim wear, strapless attire, long respectable maxi  dresses, sexy short skirts, waistcoats, you name it.  It was all lovely.

What dominated the fabrics was the East African Khanga, a piece of clothing that has been around the region since mid 1800s.  Yes, Khanga is also worn as far as Comoro Islands, Congo-Zaire and the beaches of Brazil.

SOUTH AFRICAN JAZZ PIANIST SOOTHES GREENWICH RESIDENTS...

According to the Oxford Dictionary...diverse means various, sundry, miscellaneous, mixed, dissimilar... 

When terrorists struck Woolwich, on May 22nd, 2013, one of their sick aims was to create chaos and make different races and Londoners bicker and fight and hate. London is one of those few places on earth where diversity is the order of the day. Diverse food, diverse cultures, 300 languages spoken here, etc.

That is exactly what Global Fusion Music and Arts is all about. Diversity, variance and divergence. Yes indeed,  GFMA  did promote a diversity night of music on Thursday 20th June, 2013.

Amongst the acts were Tamil Dancers from Sri Lanka, Jewish Jazz band (headlined) and South African Jazz pianist, Mervyn Africa...whose style and tones are beyond words. You had to be there to experience it. But if you could  not. Try to think of Keith Jarett and Abdullah Ibrahim...but don't stop yet.

Mervyn Africa deserves a smile afterwards...he made us happy.

What I specifically liked about Mervyn's set was the "diverse" (that word again) chops, from fast and wild  almost insane and abstract to sudden slow calculated bluesy notes,  to a typical Mbaqanga like groove. He allowed space but also scattered his lines to chaotic melodies and held you spellbound. 

That is why music is such a good mirror of identity and cultures. Listening to Mervyn Africa makes you think you are about to hear a repetition of Keith Jarret, then no, it is  Johannesburg and Soweto, perhaps Abdullah Ibrahim; then you soon realise these are mere  references. He has his own punctuation, his own stops, tinctures and colours. Fantastic signature. I specifically loved this tune he dedicated to the legendary Dudu Pukwana...another South African great who passed away in 1990:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=w6DA_gVXRCo

  

Mission accomplished. Time to reflect before heading off. Here the star stands with one of GFMA volunteers, Frances Cumming...

Louisa Le Marchand who hosted the evening told us Mervyn has a new CD and an expected tour with his band. Watch this space!

THOUSANDS ENJOY RUGBY TWICKENHAM FEATURING AFRICAN DRUMS TOO...

Queues everywhere; as far as the I eye can see. Wheew the pulse  pulsates here.

Folks of all ages and colour and gender...Folks in queues.

Queues from and to the trains, queues get in and  out; queues to toilets and bars; queues for food and drinks and eating chips and  sweets and fried meat and walk into the Twickenham Stadium whose capacity is 82, 000.

Wheew...

Lots and lots and loads of people; dressed and decked up in monkey and gorilla costumes and well some, bring Teletubies to mind; it is all part of the fun- Rugby fun.

Then there is the music.

Well, beside the muscular players on the field that is- both entertainers of this Saturday May 11th, 2013.

 Music from various bands including ACD Arts (pictured below) employed by Marriotts Hotels- featuring master musicians from Uganda, Tanzania, Mali , Burkina Faso, Italy- drumming and rocking and boom boom dadan  and drumming Africa.

Music and food and cheering all to soak into the Seven Series that has South Africans, Kenyans alongside New Zealand, Australia, United States, Canada  and of course the hosts- England.

PLANETMAN AT PASSING CLOUDS- MUSICIAN AND INNOVATOR

Saturday night a couple of weeks ago...

I and a few friends are here to have a good time, one of the best clubs- not in the centre of London- but up town, in remote Hackney, a borough filled with musicians and artists from almost every corner of the world.

This is Passing Clouds and it is April 13^th....2013.

The beers we are drinking seems to have  a Swahili name, but Mongozo does not come from East Africa, who cares?   Mwongozo  ( not “Mongozo” )means guidelines, in Swahili, mind you. Which might fit our theme today.

“Tastes good,”  Angolan, world travelled bon vivant, Antonio Mamede, a  jazz enthusiast who plays Trumpet says with relish.

As we sip  Mongozo and swing to the house DJ's  blues and jazz and the Afro and the funk and the reggae... Passing Clouds  suddenly unleashes its melodic tsunami.

 Band on stage is doing the most beautiful sound-check I have seen for ages. I will tell you why in a second.

On keyboards is confident looking Cyrus Richards (UK/Grenada), who I am told has just been touring with Culture and Abyssinians while Gabriele - Italian and newest member of the band - stands tall on Sax ;  Kit drums? It's Juba who also plays for Sam and the Womp, Tumbaito etc.  Bass bassing bass, is the swinging and tingling  rhythms of Caswell Swaby...

“We will sound check and play you something...” Says the man with the red guitar, long dreadlocks and a very pleasant vibe. Passing Clouds vibe.

The vocals "welcome" everyone to dance and enjoy themselves and by the time we start to move, the guys, these artists, have balanced their sound. There is no "testing one two three", that old fashioned, monotonous rivulet....

This is Planetman in action.

MY FAVOURITE FRUIT MIX...

I love fruits.

Well. Smile and close your eyes for a minute. You are probably thinking fruits.... of all types. Yes. In the poetic sense and romantic eye, the word fruit is strongly relevant, ambiguous and tempting...!.

Keep on smiling and think of who is your fruit of life...

 But  I am also talking of feeding; literally chocking on delicious nature: and let us speak science here;  acidic and alkaline fruits. We have to remind each other that  we are supposed to separate them to relish most benefits, i.e. You shouldn't be having bananas with oranges for instant.

I had this acidic mix yesterday, partly because two days earlier, my meals were mostly  lots of meat and excessive starch.  Knowing that I would go for a swim  today, tallied with fat reduction, amongst other things. Subsequently, the acid plays a role in cleansing. Here are dried apricots, mangoes, grapes, kiwi, pineapples, etc. Just look at the power of Nature' own colours- what they do to our physical aesthetics is beyond words. Ladies no matter how much make up and expensive body oils you pile up - what you put in through the mouth counts more, has a million Kudos and God's cogent blessings.

 Each demands a different sort of enzyme during digestion.Oranges would  best be alongside mangoes, pineapples, grapes and other acids while bananas sit in the same bowl with melons, pears, papaya and avocados.

And it is this sort of mix that I am talking about.

CHECK OUT URBAN PULSE'S NEW VIDEO....

She is  Mish Da Fya Sis...and her new video is called Roll Like Dem.

What do you think of it?

Like it? Find it funny? Intelligent? Cheeky? Interesting?

Anyway; Mish Da Fya Sis is about to release a new album and this is the first single.

Made by none other than Urban Pulse Creative Media

Keep on Rolling it...and dig it!

TANZANIA AMONG TOP TEN IN LONDON'S FASHION WEEK

Swahili Flavour?

What is that?
Walk around London right now and the ongoing vibes will catch your attention. It is  time for another bi-annual London Fashion Week - since 1984 - London joins hands, ears, eyes and feet to dance and jostle with Milan, Paris,  and New York- February and September. We are in February and so...

..For the first time...
This bliss has been joined by the Swahili People...hence Swahili fashion and Swahili Flavour
The catch phrase has been the sing song for three Tanzanian designers with common talents.
An eye for beauty, creativity, business and innovation.

From left Anna Lukindo (Anna Luks ), Christine Mhando (Chichia London) and Jacquiline Kibacha (Heart 365). Pic by Urban Pulse.

I have seen and enjoyed their work...
  Since Friday 15th February, the Tanzanian High Commission...is among UK's 27 Embassies, art galleries and cultural centres showcasing emerging talents, promoted by the British Council...as part of the ongoing London Fashion Week...both the Tanzanian High Commission and Tanzanian Tourist Board... (TTB) sponsored the event and made sure the three designers would showcase their creations.London fashion awards put Tanzanian presentations among top 10 winners- led by Estonia, on Sunday. This is beauty-full news.

NEW UK ENVOY PRAISES THE CHARACTER OF TANZANIANS

PICS BY  URBAN PULSE CREATIVE MEDIA 

Newly appointed UK Ambassador to Tanzania, Her Excellency,  Dianna Melrose has expressed her joy at coming to Tanzania by saying she is looking forward to the task at hand.

Ambassador Melrose  was speaking during a small dinner hosted by UK envoy His Excellency Peter Kallaghe and  wife Joyce Kallaghe in London  on her way to Tanzania last Thursday.

Ambassador Dianna Melrose signing the guest book. On her right is Ambassador’s wife Mama Joyce Kallaghe.

“"I feel very privileged ” she said. “The Tanzanians I have met have been so friendly and so welcoming. Such kind and generous people that I know I am going to have a wonderful time, “she went on lapping this unprecedented praise, “I know that my compatriots who have spent time Tanzania  seem to have left with a deep love that I have not find  with other British people who have lived in other countries .”

The new ambassador explained the fact that Tanzania is moving forward, has a huge potential and is very important for the UK- as her biggest investor.

 His Excellency Ambassador Peter Kallaghe raising a glass to toast with guests  to invite Ambassador Dianna Melrose to speak

“When my predecessor Diane Corner met President Kikwete, he said that now we are at an important stage of our relationship; we have reached a new bilateral stage.” And so her position “is to strengthen those links. Lucky me and thanks very much.”

     Her Excellency Ambassador Dianna Melrose speaking briefly. On her left is His Excellency  Peter Kallaghe